Wow this weekend was such a blast! From the adventures to the misadventures, it was just what I had in mind when I was fantasizing about summer over this frigid winter.

Battin’

I kicked off the weekend subbing on a softball team. Ryan stayed home with TyTy and I got in a good workout. I was pretty happy with my batting too.

Line Dancin’

We started off with my cousin Jessica’s western wedding party at the Great Canadian Barn Dance in Glenwood. The invitation said Wranglers & Boots so I of course, hit the thrift store to theme up. I found an adorable Wrangler onesie for TyTy and the COMFIEST cowboy boots ever for me. I went for a “southern” look with the chiffon dress, my grandma’s pearls and my boots.

We had so much fun! Someone organized a few games including a gladiator-like fight which I am already planning to recreate for my backyard.

We also did some line dancing which was a lot of fun.

Castle Campin’

Ryan met me in Glenwood (he had a frisbee golf tournament that caused him to miss the wedding party) and we headed out to Castle Provincial Park to meet his parents and brother to camp for a night at Beaver Mines.

I have always been a Waterton loyalist, but I got my first taste of Castle this year doing Carbondale with Samara and I LOVE this area! Beaver Mines was also amazing, a beautiful campground nestled under Table Mountain with a lake and private camp sites.

We went to Castle Falls, originally to fish, but it was cool and rainy and the current was so strong the guys said it wasn’t very good for fishing. And then Brad got it into his head to jump off one of the rocks into the freezing Castle River.

After a lot of daring, slowly, we all started getting brave enough to do it. I hadn’t planned on it until I thought about how I want this summer to be a memorable one, my first summer off since I was 17. Teenage Rachel wouldn’t have hesitated, hell, 25 year old Rachel wouldn’t have hesitated, so I took the leap.

It was the coldest I have EVER BEEN! As soon as I came up, I frantically swam for the rocks. My muscles were so cold and so siezed up that I couldn’t climb up out of the river, I yelled for Ryan to help and he just laughed and shook his head. Ha ha! My sister in law Camille had to give me a hand out because I couldn’t move from the cold.

Was it worth it? ABSOLUTELY! It’s too easy to get bored with life, doing things that scare you keeps you feeling free and refreshed.

Camping didn’t go quite as planned. We stayed in my in-laws trailer and the baby was great and sleeping so great. But by 1:30 am I couldn’t take my dads snoring anymore, especially as TyTy has me up at 5 am every morning. So we got in our car and drove the two hours home. By the time I fed Ty and put him down and crawled into bed it was 4 am. And yes- Ty woke me up at 5 am.

But the reason I wanted to be home is because I can put him in his swing and he’ll be quite and happy for 20-30 minutes at a time. So I got about three hours of sleep this morning in those increments. Talk about #momlife!

Paddle Boardin’

The day turned around when Rachelle texted me and asked if I was down to go paddle boarding. I let Ryan sleep in so that he would be up for hanging with the baby, and my plan worked. I kissed the two and set off for Wally’s Beach on the St. Mary Reservoir with Rachelle.

Inflatable paddle boards are easier to take places but they are hard to blow up. In fact, we technically filled up three boards as the first time the pin came out and the board deflated when we tried to plug it up! We definitely got our arm workout in!

But being on the water made it all worth it. It was a clear day and with the exception of a few wakes from power boats the water was flat and easy. We paddled across to the other side and then floated around and chatted with our legs in the water.

As we finished up I decided to jump in and cool off. It felt so good, it felt like summer! There is nothing like water sports on a hot day.

Hello and welcome to Better LIVIN! I’m Rachel, a 34 year old mama and substitute teacher in Southern Alberta, Canada. This blog is about hiking and other outdoor adventures, fitness, healthy living, and life in general. See my About page for more info!

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